- With Louche and Cécille each celebrating two years of operation recently, it seemed only right that there be a celebration. Both have made huge leaps over the past 730 days, with Louche now rivalling any night that Leeds has to offer and the Mannheim label bounding up the charts with its blend of deep house and techno. Even a drive to Leeds in torrential winds and rain wasn't going to put me off the mouth-watering line-up of Markus Fix and Alex Celler; it did try its best however. By the time the night had arrived, though, the weather had calmed down and, with my coat in the cloakroom, I was ready for anything.
It started like any other night, with our group arriving unfashionably early. After a sit down and a few doubles, we stretched our legs and made our way to the dance floor. Louche boys, Brinsley Kazak and Josh Tweek were playing back-to-back, warming things up. Both had impressed me at the last Louche night and their laidback, deep house, which increasingly became more up-tempo, did the trick yet again.
Photo credit: Lisa Loco
Without us even realising, the club filled up behind us and our spot right at the front became sought after, forcing us backwards when Alex Celler finally came on. The London-based Greek's productions had impressed me (and seemingly a number of the DJ fraternity), and he immediately stamped his own style on proceedings, with a selection of tribal-infused house. Lots of percussion and tribal rhythms—bongos and drums—helped create a warm, ethnic sound that juxtaposed nicely with the cold weather outside. Proving he wasn't a one-trick pony, Celler varied his sound, which at times became tougher but still maintained a house groove.
One friend commented to me that Markus Fix would do well to improve on what we had already heard. I agreed, and was suitably impressed when Fix came on at 3 AM, and took it to another level. The Frankfurt producer made the most of the clear, crisp Funktion Ones. Tracks such as "I Get Deep" by Late Nite Tuff Guy, which I'd heard on a number of occasions, was played in a way I'd never experienced before. He built things up with such ferocity and bass that at times it was almost a relief when they finally dropped. Other highlights on the night included Damian Schwartz's "El Rey" and a rework of Musique's classic "Keep on Jumping," which both received great responses, but it was less about single moments and more about the totality of the experience. With what I saw and heard on this night, it's clear that both Louche and Cécille will have plenty more to come.